To many, prospecting is the toughest part of building a network marketing business. If you've been in the business for any time, you know that prospecting can be one of the most challenging of all activities. To someone brand new to network marketing, it can be a frustrating mystery.

Why is that?
Well, when we are prospecting, we are vulnerable to someone saying no to our invitation — and it's human nature to protect ourselves from rejection. Ever since we were young children, we have hated to be told no. In starting our network marketing business, we soon learn that because of fear, laziness, ignorance, bad experiences, or just other priorities, some people are not going to be as excited as we are about our network marketing opportunity-and tell us no! 

For years, in an effort to balance the emotional scales, network marketers have chanted the mantra, "Some Will, Some Won't, So What? Next!" This conjures up the image of "move on!" If they are not interested in what you have to offer, just "move on to the next person — it's their loss." 

Even though this has been helpful in shielding our vulnerability, we know that's not really what network marketers believe. The best of the best know that prospecting is a relationship-building process that usually has to develop over time.

Just who is a prime prospect for your network marketing business?
While some people are certainly better prospects than others, it's usually not for the reasons we think. Because someone has what we might consider to be a "really good job or career," makes a lot of money, or has tried network marketing before, we think they would be poor prospects for our business. While in fact, some of these people become our best prospects!

On the other hand, some individuals we "just know will do great at this," sometimes prove to be our poorest prospects. You see, the likelihood of someone joining your business has less to do with what they have and what they do, than who and where they are in their lives. In most cases, it takes time and follow-up to discover who your best prospects truly are.

The Pipeline Philosophy
Think of a pipeline that over time and space carries a large amount of prospects. These prospects can be people from all over the world who are in the process of learning more about your business. When you contact them, they enter into your pipeline.

As your prospects travel through your pipeline they become more knowledgeable, understanding, respectful, enthusiastic, and committed to the opportunity that awaits them on the other end. What opportunity is that? The opportunity to build their own successful network marketing business.

Everyone with whom you value the potential of a relationship should move into your pipeline-even if they have no immediate interest in what you have to offer. As long as someone has no objection to you keeping him or her abreast of both your personal and the company's progress — they should be put in your pipeline.

Prospecting is relationship building
Why? Because prospecting is a process, a journey — for both you and your prospects. Some of your best business builders can be those who journey the longest through your pipeline, whereas some prospects who join too quickly can be quick to quit.

So let everyone you approach go into your pipeline and help them go through the process. As they begin to flow out the other end, you will have people who truly believe in the value of the opportunity and are enthusiastically willing to commit to it and for their reasons-not just yours! In between, within the twists and turns of the pipeline, you will route your prospects to different areas to meet their specific needs. And there may be a few that over time you may route out of your pipeline altogether.

The key is: Everyone's process and journey is different — be sensitive to each one's needs and concerns and focus first and foremost on building the relationship. Everything else will happen as a natural result of that.